Seed harvesting

Hopi Purple Beans. I was gifted a handful at Seed Savers Teachers Training, and reaped a large harvest. Each one is so unique and beautiful

From some come many. Purple Hyacinth Beans

It has been a pretty great growing season here in Peterborough. I am a little late on posting this as this extended fall has had me out in the garden lots, and not inside by a computer so much. It was a great season for grains & beans, an pretty good season for tomatoes & peppers (especially compared to the past two), and a not so great season for quinoa & cucumbers. Alas, as with every gardening season, somethings thrive & others wilt. All part of the many life lessons that gardening offers. The following are pictures of some of my harvests. Some were from my personal garden, others from our Nourish Urban Seed Saving Gardens, and local Seed Savers Collective. The seed saving movement is growing!!!

Blue-tinged Ethiopian Wheat looking gorgeous early one September morning at the Lift Lock Community Garden. This was one of my favourite crops to grow this season, It was navy blue when fully ripe & harvested. Excited to grind some up & eat it this winter.

Red Fife Wheat. It was really fun growing this local heirloom grain. We are working with our Seed Savers Collective to bulk up the quantity and quality of seeds available locally for this crop.

This is the most gorgeous thing I have ever grown!

Just a few of the grains harvested from various Urban Grain Seed Gardens around Peterborough region. So gorgeous

I haven’t forgot my roots. Still enjoyed growing loads of heirloom tomatoes this season. Nice to have a long warm fall here in the Kawarthas so we got a pretty good crop to bulk up my urbantomato seed bank that had dwindled a bit due to cold summers and blight infestations over the past two years.

Buckwheat and Blue Tinged Ethiopian Wheat harvested from one of our Seed Saving Gardens throughout the region. Couldn’t get enough of these beauties

Purple Hyacinth beans growing along at one of our Urban Seed Saving Gardens.

This was a great year for beans. I was gifted these Purple Hyacinth beans when I went to the Rocky Mountain Seed Alliances Seed Savers Teaching Training this spring. They did wonderfully this year, and I will have seeds to share this spring

Purple Hyacinth Beans producing seed

Turkey Craw Climbing Beans. Also gifted to me at Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance Seed Savers Teaching Training. They were gorgeous and abundant and I will have lots to share this spring!

Turkey Craw climbing beans starting to dry down & produce seeds

Turkey Craw Climbing Beans almost ready to be harvested

The development of Turkey Craw Climbing bean seeds. Starting in late summer, they start to swell and produce seeds. As fall emerges, they start to brown & dry down. If possible, always leave your beans on the vine until the are brown, dry and the seeds almost rattle within. We had an early frost warning, so I had to pick some earlier than I would have liked, but at least it allowed me to take this beautiful photo

Moonglow tomatoes. My seed stock of these beauties was starting to get pretty low, but after a bumper crop this season, they will be back on offer this spring. They are a beautiful round & vibrant coloured heirloom, resisting to cracking & last a long time once picked